Defenseman Mark Streit has been placed on unconditional waivers by the Montreal Canadiens. Streit played only two regular season games with the Canadiens this year averaging 14:13 of ice time. After his underwhelming performance, his long and notable career in the NHL may be over. This latest news follows reports that Mark Streit would not report to the Rocket and would spend the next few days weighing his options.
Unconditional waivers: Mark Streit (MTL) #tvasports
— Renaud Lavoie (@renlavoietva) October 15, 2017
Montreal Canadiens Defenseman Mark Streit on Unconditional Waivers
Justin Blades reports that this transaction will allow for a mutual contract termination. As such, Streit will be free to pursue opportunities elsewhere if he wants to continue his hockey career. As none of the league’s 30 teams claimed the Swiss defender last week, it is unlikely that this includes the NHL.
The Canadiens signed Mark Streit on July 25th to a one year deal worth $1 million dollars. The deal included a cap hit of $700,000 and $300,000 in performance bonuses. Last week, the Canadiens assigned the 39-year-old to the American Hockey League’s Laval Rocket after he cleared waivers. Streit will take a huge pay cut and receive $45,161 dollars for his twelve days of service on the Habs active roster. This will allow the Habs save $654,839 dollars against their salary cap.
As Ben Kerr noted, Streit was originally drafted by the Canadiens in 2004. In 11 NHL Seasons, he scored 96 goals and 338 assists for 434 points in 784 career NHL games. He has played for the Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers, Tampa Bay Lightning, and New York Islanders. Last year, he was part of a Stanley Cup Champion team with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
What’s next for Mark Streit?
Streit, 39, is a Swiss native. Throughout his career, he has returned to play in the Swiss league. Last summer, Streit brought the Stanley Cup to his hometown of Bern, Switzerland. He is the first NHL player in 11 years to bring the Cup to Switzerland. Assuming the mutual contract termination proceeds, Streit could be eligible to play for Switzerland in the 2018 Winter Olympics.
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